Chapter 45
“Yes, Mama.”
“Do you know how to ride horses?”
“No, Mama.”
Johan lowered her head.
Riding was for nobility, Among commoners, there were more who had never seen a horse in their lifetime. Riding was only allowed for those servants or knights who took care of the noble’s horses. So, Joan, being a commoner, had no knowledge of riding.
“Then, would you like to learn?”
“What?”
Johan raised her head in surprise.
“Learning with someone who doesn’t know as well might be better than learning alone.”
“But… I’m a commoner, Will the steward allow that?”
“It’s my command, Can the steward dare to defy it?”
Giselle expressed her annoyance. It was irritating that every time she spoke about what she wanted, Joan or the other maids would express disapproval. It was clear that she was still not recognized as the true queen. When would they finally acknowledge her as the queen?
Frustrated, Giselle waved her hand.
“Anyway, know that and quickly go tell the gardener.”
“Yes, Mama.”
Johan couldn’t quite grasp whether she should be happy or unhappy about this opportunity.
Horseback riding.
It was a field she had never even considered before.
But soon, Johan shrugged her shoulders.
Well, a noble experience wouldn’t be too bad, she thought.
Of course, it was probably because Gizelle didn’t want to feel embarrassed alone that she dragged Johan into this.
“Wait.”
At that moment, Gizelle, her face turning red, followed Joan out of the room.
“Mama?”
“Well….”
As Gizelle hesitated in her words, Joan slightly narrowed her eyebrows.
“When you need me, just ring the bell.”
“I know!”
Only then did Gizelle realize that she had followed the maid out.
Her face turned hot.
This is something that servants do!
Gizelle bit her lip.
“I need to go to Garden, Please guide me there.”
“Uh… Yes.”
Johan really didn’t know what to do with this capricious princess.
And a little later.
“… Did you ask for me, Mama?”
Garden had to make a great effort to hide his bewilderment.
“Do you need something suddenly… any particular reason?”
Garden narrowed his eyes at Hwangbi, wondering if she knew how to ride a horse.
“I’m trying to learn horseback riding. I need to find a horse riding instructor as well.”
“Oh, I see, That shouldn’t be too difficult. I’ll take care of it by the middle of this week.”
“Who will be the instructor?”
Jizele asked with anxious eyes.
Jizele was in a situation where even the maids rejected her.
And a noble’s horse riding instructor… would surely reject her even more.
As she thought about it, embarrassment overwhelmed her.
“I was thinking of assigning one of the knights from the Imperial Guard.”
Garden, of course, was well aware of the situation.
Since a noble’s horse riding instructor would inevitably refuse, he planned to call any knight from the Imperial Guard.
After all, someone eating the emperor’s food wouldn’t dare refuse an order.
“…That’s not bad.”
A knight.
Jizele had no particularly bad memories of the knights.
Even when she was a servant in the Grand Manor, she got along reasonably well with the knights.
Of course, if the knights threw insults, she was more likely to deflect them.
“Yes, then I’ll handle it that way-”
“What about the horse?”
“Yes, Mama?”
“What about the horse… What kind of horse are you going to get?”
Garden blinked quickly.
“Do you have a specific type of horse in mind, Mama?”
Garden asked, thinking that Hwangbi surprisingly knew about the pedigrees of thoroughbred horses.
Of course, the possibility was very low.
After hesitating for a moment, Jizele opened her mouth.
“Is it possible to get a horse similar to the Emperor’s?”
“Delfi, you mean? That kind of horse… I’m sorry, but it might be a bit difficult.”
Garden openly expressed his hesitation.
“Delfi is the best horse in the empire, and its pedigree is so noble. It’s a horse that even direct members of the imperial family find difficult to obtain.”
In one word, it meant that it wasn’t worth discussing with you.
‘’Jizelle pressed further, “Well, what about the words of Her Majesty, the Empress?”
“Buttercup also comes from an impressive lineage of thoroughbred horses, Its value is quite high. I apologize, but with the budget allocated to Her Majesty the Empress, it’s a bit… a challenging price range. Moreover, recently Her Majesty purchased jewels, leaving only half of the budget remaining.”
“So, what’s the alternative then?”
In the end, Jizelle couldn’t hold back and raised her voice.
“…Within the budget, get a horse that is reasonable-”
“I said I want a proper horse.”
Garden clenched his anger.
Though he had been a court official for 20 years, such a sense of humiliation had been rare, It wasn’t because of her background. It was because no one had treated him with such disrespect in all his years as a court official.
“Then, Mama, how about requesting a budget increase from Viscount Lars?”
“…Budget increase?”
‘What’s a ‘budget increase’?
Jizelle was momentarily confused by the unfamiliar term, Garden noticed her lack of understanding and explained it in a more accessible way.
“If the budget allocated to the Empress’s palace is increased, then the budget available for investing in horses will also increase.”
“Ah.”
Jizelle sighed.
Count Eren Lars would never give her money, Even when she was a servant, Eren didn’t like her. Becoming the Empress didn’t change his attitude. Outwardly, he was polite and courteous, but his gaze. That gaze never changed. A strange disdain. Jizelle felt disdain in Eren’s gaze. It made her feel uncomfortable.
“Why does it have to be Viscount Lars?”
“Well, because he is the Finance Minister, He manages the overall budget of the palace.”
“Why can’t it be someone else?”
“Well, I’m not sure, The household ledger is also managed by Her Majesty the Empress, but…”
“Garden gazed at Jisel with a skeptical look.’’
If he were to ask for more budget to buy horses, there was a doubtful expression that questioned whether the Empress would grant that.
Especially if Jisel were to go and ask for it himself.
“Or I could speak to the Emperor.”
At that moment, a servant standing behind Garden interjected.
Jizele quickly turned his head to look at him.
Although Arthas, the servant addressed, looked much younger than Garden, he had a decent appearance.
“Arthas! This is not your place to intervene.”
“Apologies, Master Garden.”
Addressed as Arthas, the servant smiled humbly while bowing.
However, his gaze remained fixed on Jizele.
Jisel found his bold demeanor intriguing. After all, wasn’t this servant intervening to help him? Daring to speak to Garden like that.
“Speak to the Emperor?”
“…Yes, but making a direct request to the Emperor for such a trivial matter would not be appropriate, Mama.”
“Include me.”
“Pardon?”
“I mean, include the request for horses. Include me in it.”
Jizele said with a cheerful face.
Upon hearing this, Arthas responded with a smile that conveyed an inexplicable meaning.
“Verdi.”
Since encountering Johann at the hunting ground, Anel’s headache had not subsided.
It was because of the assignment Johann had given her.
For the suffering Anel, Verdi poured a cup of tea.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Care to join me?”
“Anytime is fine for me.”
Verdi sat across from Anel, smiling brightly.
“Do you have any worries these days, Your Highness?”
“…Is it that obvious?”
“I may not know about others, but I know about you. After all, I am your maid.”
“Is that so…”
Anel forced a smile and took a sip of tea, As the warmth spread through her body, the headache gradually subsided.
“Verdi, have you ever given a gift to someone you have feelings for?”
“Someone with romantic intentions?”
Verdi made a puzzled expression for a moment, then soon a sly smile appeared as if he understood.
“You’re planning to give a gift to the Emperor, aren’t you?”
“Well, if you want to put it that way…”
Anel felt a bit guilty for Verdi’s pure expectations, Verdi still hadn’t given up hope on a romantic relationship between them. He seemed to genuinely believe that Anel could be happy.
Even Anel herself had given up on such expectations, In any case, it was a grateful thing.
“Are you planning to give it on his birthday? It’s a really good idea, Your Highness.”
“Is it?”
“Yes, because you two… need to improve your relationship a bit more.”
Verdi said, glancing around, Probably he was wary due to the unexpected tension between the two during the last breakfast.
“Improvement…”
Anel quietly whispered the seemingly hopeless word.
Improvement, Was it possible for the relationship between that person and her to improve?
Anel thought of Johann she had encountered at the hunting ground.
As usual, he was arrogant and an enigmatic person, However…
“I feel like there’s something I don’t know.”
